Nate Lang's 'Whiplash' riding Sundance wave

In 2009, the Sundance Film Festival U.S. Grand Jury Prize for Dramatic feature film went to “Precious,” which went on to earn five Oscar nominations.

In 2012, it went to “Beasts of the Southern Wild,” which went on earn four Oscar nods.This year, it went to “Whiplash” — with a supporting actor assist from Nate Lang of New Bedford.

Writer/director Damien Chazelle's debut feature about a New York music school teacher from hell (J.K. Simmons), his prize pupil (Miles Teller) and the boy's rival (Lang) took both of the prestigious film festival's top honors, the U.S. Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award. Lang, who is a drummer in a rock band, The Gents, plays the veteran drummer, eyeing the new kid gunning for his spot.

“The competition is hard enough to get into — you never think in a million years you're going to actually end up winning,” said Lang, son of the former mayor Scott W. Lang, in a phone interview from Los Angeles.

More than 120 feature-length films were shown at the festival this year, selected from 4,000-plus submissions.

Sony Pictures Classics acquired both international and domestic rights to “Whiplash.” Lang said it will most likely have wide national release.

The film was the talk of Park City, Utah this year, from the moment Sundance founder Robert Redford introduced it as the first movie of the festival on Jan. 16. William H. Macy presented Chazelle with the Audience Award on Jan. 25 at the feature film Awards Ceremony.

Lang was not in attendance because he had to be in Los Angeles to pitch his dark comedy pilot, “Expats,” to TV networks — but said he watched the ceremony online.

“The Grand Jury and the Audience awards are two totally different types of awards, so that's really validating to win both,” said Lang, a 1997 New Bedford High School graduate.

He said he was “humbled” by the Audience Award, especially, because the film is set “in the world of jazz conservatory music, which is a world not many people have been exposed to, so you're not sure if this is something that will have mass appeal. But when it's the audience choice (for best film), you realize the film is relatable to people, which is what you're aiming at in the first place.”

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